N3 Vocabulary · Test 38

短(みじか)い means 'short (in length)'. The sentence says 'This string is too short to use.' The reading of 短 is みじか, so with すぎて it becomes みじかすぎて.

• 1よわすぎて would be written 弱すぎて ('too weak'). 弱(よわ)い means 'weak', which does not match the kanji 短.
• 3ほそすぎて would be written 細すぎて ('too thin'). 細(ほそ)い means 'thin', which does not match the kanji 短.
• 4かたすぎて would be written 硬すぎて/堅すぎて ('too hard/stiff'). 硬(かた)い means 'hard', which does not match the kanji 短.

• 短みじかい — short (in length)
• ひも — string, cord
• 使つかいにくい — hard to use

他人(たにん) means 'another person / other people'. The sentence says 'That person never listens to other people's opinions at all.' The correct reading is たにん.

• 1ちにん is not a valid reading for 他人. This is a distractor using a wrong initial consonant.
• 2たじん is not a valid reading for 他人. This is a distractor using a voiced じ instead of に.
• 4ちじん is not a valid reading for 他人. This is a distractor mixing wrong consonants.

• 他人たにん — another person, other people
• 意見いけん — opinion
• 全然ぜんぜん — not at all (with negative)

示す(しめす) means 'to show, to indicate, to display'. The sentence says 'Changes in population were shown on a graph.' The past tense 示した is read しめした.

• 1うつした is the past tense of 移す(うつす, 'to move/transfer') or 映す(うつす, 'to project/reflect'). Neither matches the kanji 示.
• 2さした is the past tense of 指す(さす, 'to point'). While related in meaning, it does not match the kanji 示.
• 3あらわした is the past tense of 表す(あらわす, 'to express/represent'). Although semantically close, it does not match the kanji 示.

• 示しめす — to show, to indicate, to demonstrate
• 人口じんこう — population
• 変化へんか — change
• グラフ（ぐらふ） — graph

外科(げか) means 'surgery (as a medical department)'. The sentence says 'Tanaka-san is a surgeon (a doctor in surgery).' The correct reading is げか — 外 gets the rendaku voiced reading げ here.

• 1がいか is not a valid reading for 外科. This looks like a distractor that inserts an extra い.
• 3げいか is not a valid reading for 外科. This is a distractor swapping the vowels.
• 4がか is not a valid reading for 外科. Without rendaku, 外 is read がい, not が, so this is incorrect.

• 外科げか — surgery (medical department)
• お医者さん（おいしゃさん） — doctor

笑顔(えがお) means 'smiling face, smile'. The sentence says 'Satō-san's smile is wonderful.' The correct reading is えがお.

• 2えかお is not a valid reading for 笑顔. This is a distractor missing the が.
• 3わらがお is not a valid reading for 笑顔. This is a distractor using the kun-yomi of 笑(わらう) plus 顔, which is not how this compound is read.
• 4わらかお is not a valid reading for 笑顔. This is another distractor based on the kun-yomi of 笑, which is incorrect.

• 笑顔えがお — smile, smiling face
• すてき — wonderful, lovely

きたく means 'returning home.' The correct kanji is 帰宅: 帰 (return) + 宅 (home/house). Together they mean 'return home,' a very common compound word.

• 1着家 is not a standard word. 着 means 'arrive/wear' and 家 means 'house,' but this compound does not exist.
• 2帰家 is not a standard word in modern Japanese. While 帰 means 'return' and 家 means 'house,' the correct compound for 'returning home' uses 宅, not 家.
• 3着宅 is not a standard word. 着 means 'arrive,' but the conventional word for returning home is 帰宅, not 着宅.

• 帰宅きたく — returning home
• 帰き — to return
• 宅たく — home, house

そだてる means 'to raise/bring up (a child).' The correct kanji is 育てる. 育 means 'raise/grow/nurture.' This fits the context of raising children in a good environment.

• 1産てる would be read うてる (from 産む, 'to give birth'), which is a different concept — giving birth, not raising. Also the okurigana てる is not the standard conjugation form for 産む.
• 3守てる would be read まもてる (from 守る, 'to protect'), which does not mean 'to raise.' The okurigana is also nonstandard.
• 4助てる would be read たすけてる (from 助ける, 'to help'), which does not mean 'to raise.' The okurigana is also nonstandard.

• 育そだてる — to raise, bring up (a child)
• 育いく — raise, grow, nurture

きろく means 'record (a document/notation).' The correct kanji is 記録: 記 (to write down/record) + 録 (record/log). This is the standard compound for 'record.'

• 2紀録 uses 級 instead of 記. 級 is used in words like 紀元 (era) or 紀行 (travelogue), not in 記録.
• 3記緑 uses 緑 (green) instead of 録 (record). These kanji look similar but have completely different meanings.
• 4紀緑 combines both wrong kanji: 紀 (wrong for 記) and 緑 (wrong for 録). Neither is correct.

• 記録きろく — record, documentation
• 記き — to write down, record
• 録ろく — record, log

はが痛い means '(my) tooth hurts.' The reading は matches 歯 (tooth). 歯が痛い is the standard expression for having a toothache.

• 1腹 is read はら (stomach/belly), not は. It does not match the reading.
• 2胃 is read い (stomach organ), not は. It does not match the reading.
• 4腰 is read こし (lower back), not は. It does not match the reading.

• 歯は — tooth
• 痛いたい — painful, hurts

むすぶ means 'to tie/bind.' The correct kanji is 結ぶ. 結 means 'tie/bind/connect.' This fits the context of tying a ribbon.

• 1組ぶ is not a standard verb form. The verb 組む (くむ) means 'to assemble/cross (arms),' but it does not use the reading むすぶ and does not mean 'to tie a ribbon.'
• 2絡ぶ is not a standard verb form. The verb 絡む (からむ) means 'to entangle/meddle,' which is different from tying.
• 3給ぶ is not a standard word. 給 is used in words like 給料 (salary) or 給食 (school lunch), and does not mean 'to tie.'

• 結むすぶ — to tie, bind
• 結けつ/むす(ぶ) — tie, bind, connect